As you begin exploring investing and putting your money to work, you’ll start to look for platforms and stock trading apps that make the most sense for your goals.
And with technology today, it doesn’t matter if you want a simple app to invest with little money or you are an experienced trader looking for detailed features — there is an app that exists for you.Â
Now figuring out which investing app is right for you will depend on your current finances, what you want to invest in, any fees associated with the app, and naturally solid mobile features you find easy to use.
Below are some of my top stock trading apps that not only will help put your money to work, but will help you succeed with your investments.
Best Stock Trading Apps
Here are the 15 best stock trading apps you might want to consider using today and this year!
1. Webull
Webull is your standard stock trading app but doesn’t charge any commissions on trades. The app makes it easy to follow market news and stocks and allows you to add your entire portfolio and track over time.
They offer four types of investment assets: stocks, options, ETFs and soon, cryptocurrencies. There are no minimum monthly deposits, zero commission fees, it’s very easy to sign up and the portfolio offers intuitive features.
The trading app is best for traders with a little experience but also offers great features for advanced traders. Learn more and sign-up for Webull here.
2. Ally Invest
Ally Invest offers a wide range of accounts to store your money including checking, savings and several investment accounts. It’s low cost, intuitive, and it doesn’t charge any commissions on stocks or ETFs.
It also allows you to trade everything including stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and bonds. It’s online only and is a great option for DIY investors.
Additionally there are two investing options to consider, pending your personal goals and style of investing:
- Managed Portfolio Investing: build your portfolio and let Ally Invest automatically monitor it for you. You can start with as little as $100.
- Self-Directed Account: Looking for stock trading and DIY trades with zero commissions and competitive options trading? Then a Self-Directed account is for you.
3. TD Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade is one of the best known stock trading apps due to the fact that it offers great features for both beginners and expert traders at an affordable price.
They don’t charge fees for stock trading or on ETFs, and don’t require a minimum balance. For traders, they do charge 65 cents per options contract and $25 for assisted trades.
And they offer a wide range of assets including mutual funds and options, as well as a variety of accounts such as retirement accounts, 529s and savings accounts.
4. Fidelity
Fidelity is another well-known investment app that allows you to invest for free in ETFs, stocks and options.
Additionally, Fidelity offers fractional share investing, so you can contribute a certain amount of dollars rather than having to buy a total number of stocks.
The investment app also offers IRAs with no minimum balance requirement. Their app is clean and easy to use, and includes all the features needed for intermediate investors.
5. Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers is a great brokerage for more advanced investors. It offers several types of accounts for both individuals and retail investors, and allows users to invest in a large range of assets.
The dashboard includes a wide range of trading tools and quotes, and the app offers all relevant information in a slick and intuitive way.
You’ll pay $0 for commissions for stocks and ETFs, 65 cents for option contracts, and you can get started with $0.
6. Stash
Stash is a great investment platform for those who want to invest but don’t know where to get started. They have a few paid tiers, but they start at just a $1 per month and offer both a bank account and debit card, as well as a rewards program.
Stash also offers fractional shares and retirement accounts if you pay for a premium subscription.
It’s a great app for those who want just the basics of investing and want some guidance, without paying a premium. Learn more and sign-up for Stash here.
7. SoFi
SoFi Invest is a great stock market brokerage for beginner traders. The app and platform is intuitive and easy to use, and they offer both retirement and taxable accounts.
They don’t charge fees on their robo-advisor platform (except 1.25% for crypto trades) and also allow investors to buy fractional shares.
Their website is full of educational articles for beginners and offer tons of useful investing tips as well.
8. Acorns
Acorns is an investment app with a unique twist: you invest your spare change. The app syncs with your credit or debit cards, and then rounds up to the nearest dollar and invests that money into a fund of your choice.
Depending on the type of account, you can also have access to IRAs, checking accounts and investment accounts for kids. Additionally, Acorns offers paid tiers pending your needs, but starts at just $1 per month.
It’s a great investment app for those who have difficulty saving or want to invest bit by bit. Learn more and sign-up for Acorns here.
9. Robinhood
Robinhood is an investment app and platform that allows investors to trade stocks for free.
It’s a good app for both beginners and more advanced traders since they also offer options, fractional shares and cryptocurrencies.
Their clean interface makes it easy to pick stocks and learn about the stock market.
The company has run into some controversies in 2020, so if you are unsure about them remember you have options in this list and other alternatives to Robinhood as well.
10. Tastyworks
Tastyworks is a great investment platform specifically for options trading. They offer stocks and ETFs trades for free, and charge $1 per contract for options on stocks and ETFs.
Their app is great for those who have experience with options and want to trade from their phone. They offer retirement, international and individual margin accounts as well.
If you are an experience investor where options play a role in your strategy, then this app might be for you. Otherwise, look elsewhere on this list.
11. Public.com
Public.com is a commission-free trading app that doesn’t require a minimum balance to start trading and allows you to invest in fractional shares.
With this brokerage, your portfolio is public to other investors which means you can also check other people’s portfolios.
Having said that, they don’t offer investments in bonds, mutual funds and don’t offer a lot of information or commentary on stock market news.
The app is great for investors who just want the basic functionalities to start trading or looking for investment themes. Learn more about Public and sign-up here.
12. E*Trade
E*Trade is a great investment brokerage for both beginners and more experienced traders. They publish educational content, offer comprehensive features and charge zero commissions on stocks, ETFs and options.
The brokerage has three different trading platforms as well as market data, commentary and analyst research. And the app offers a lot of advanced features making it ideal for regular day traders.
13. TradeStation
TradeStation focuses on higher quality data and customer service. The platform is best for technical traders who want to build their own trading and research process.
With an account you’ll get real-time data, various stock trading strategies, price change alerts, and more.
They offer commission free trading with a $2,000 minimum deposit for stocks, ETFs. There are some contract fees on futures and options, if that is something you plan on trading.
Additionally, TradeStation is a great brokerage for those who need a platform that is reliable during periods of high trading volume.
14. Stockpile
Stockpile specializes in offering fractional shares of large, big-name companies such as McDonald’s, Amazon and Microsoft with as little as $5.
They also have a cool gift card program which allows users to gift stocks to friends and family.
It is geared towards beginner investors and doesn’t offer very advanced features; there are no retirement accounts or tax-advantaged accounts.
Stockpile is a good app for newbie investors that are looking to get into stock market investing.
15. Wealthsimple
WealthSimple offers a good variety of stocks, bonds and ETFs, as well as access to financial advisors. Advisors cost up to 0.50% and guide you through an investment and saving strategy.
The platform also allows you to invest in socially responsible funds through their risk assessed portfolios.
Besides investing, WealthSimple also offers money saving features to help you build your emergency fund and reach your goals. You can also automatically save your spare change. Learn more about WealthSimple and sign-up here.
Stocking Trading App FAQs
What is the best stock trading app for beginners?
If you are just starting out, it’s worth beginning with a micro investing app such as Acorns and Stash. The sign up process is straightforward, and you can easily start investing regularly every month.
Once you’ve learned the basics with these apps, it’s worth stepping up to a portfolio brokerage such as Ally Invest, where you can build a larger portfolio of stocks and track them over time. These apps might also offer retirement accounts and automatic monthly contributions.
What is the best free trading app?
One of the best free trading apps is TD Ameritrade. That’s simply because it’s an app that is great for both beginners and advanced traders; their platform is highly advanced, yet still intuitive and easy to use. More advanced investors can also check out and try their app for traders, thinkorswim.
How much money do I need to invest?
With micro investing apps like Stash and Acorns, you can get started with just a few dollars and costs nothing to open your account. These apps sync with your credit card and will start by investing your spare change.
These stock trading apps typically don’t require minimum balances or minimum monthly deposits either, making it easy to open an account and keep contributing. If you go onto other investment platforms, the amount of money you’ll need depends on what you plan on buying.
How Should You Choose the Best Stock Trading App?
If you’re looking for the best stock trading app, you’ll want to pick an app that suits your needs best. And luckily, you have tons of options above!
As a beginner, you may want something that is hands off and easy to use like: Webull, Stash, or Acorns. If you want to learn about investing and build your own portfolio, it’s worth looking at TradeStation or Interactive Brokers, for example.
If you’re an advanced trader who wants to have access to charts, tickets and trade options, the best app may be TD Ameritrade or Tastyworks.